


Peer Pressure

by aravenwood



Series: Febuwhump '19 [2]
Category: The Losers (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-21 07:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17638010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aravenwood/pseuds/aravenwood
Summary: History had demonstrated that he couldn’t be trusted to keep people safe, especially not…not children.Written for the Febuwhump prompt "peer pressure".





	Peer Pressure

**Author's Note:**

> Today's prompt was "peer pressure". The fic itself is set in an AU where the team weren't pronounced dead after the helicopter crash but instead returned to the military.
> 
> Enjoy!

“C’mon man, you’re the best sniper on the base and you’re perfect for this mission. We’ve seen you around kids – they like you, they feel safe with you.”

Cougar flinched at that word – “safe”. How could anyone use that word with him in mind? History had demonstrated that he couldn’t be trusted to keep people safe, especially not…not children. He gritted his teeth and shook his head once at the front of him.

Captain Walker was a tall, muscular man with a large head and thick eyebrows with piggy eyes hidden beneath them. His promotion to Captain was a recent one, but he took great pressure in holding his rank over everyone’s heads, and evidently his team leader wanted to take full advantage of that too as he used Walker to do his dirty work. The work no one else was mad enough, or perhaps stubborn enough, to even attempt – namely trying to talk Cougar into an assignment he had no intention of taking.

“Cougs, c’mon! The boss’ll have my head on a spike if I don’t bring you in. Please? Do a man a favour!” Walker pleaded. He looked so desperate that Cougar almost wanted to agree. But the kids…he couldn’t face that again.

He sighed and lowered his head, the brim of his hat hiding his eyes from view. He didn’t need to be able to see to know that he was being watched by almost everyone within earshot of the conversation. The weight of their stares was a physical one across his shoulders, forcing his shoulders into a hunch. There were whispers ringing in his ears, not quite quiet enough to be private – or maybe they wanted him to hear, wanted to add to his shame.

“Coward.” “Selfish.” “Pathetic.” He flinched like the words were knives thrown straight at his heart.

“Alvarez, don’t be a dick,” someone snapped at him.

“You think you’re too good to do assignments with us?” came an equally harsh voice.

Cougar tried to breathe, tried to open his mouth to explain that he couldn’t risk it – that he couldn’t bear to have children’s lives in his hands again – but before he could, he heard a loud, wordless shout which silenced the whispers. A second later there was a hand on his shoulder. “He’s not just a gun for hire, Sgt Walker,” Clay snapped.

“Actually it’s Captain now -.”

“Actually I couldn’t give a fuck. My team – every single member – has an assignment already. We can’t afford to be picking up your slack, so do your own goddamn work,” he snarled, then pushed Cougar gently forwards and away from the now-silent crowd. “Okay?” he asked in a much softer voice.

Cougar nodded softly. “Lo siento, no puedo -.”

“No need to explain yourself to me Sgt, I understand. We all do – well, everyone important anyway. Everyone else…they won’t understand, not until they’ve seen what we did.” Clay squeezed his shoulder.

Cougar hoped that no one would ever have to understand. He couldn’t face the thought of someone else in the same situation. He couldn’t face the idea of it happening again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
